1873.] THE CULTURE OF ORCHIDS. 359 



garden is facing the east, where they have the sun in the morning and the 

 earlier portion of the day. The ground ought to be well drained, the soil 

 rather heavy than light. Moreover, to have large clusters of full- sized pips, 

 allow a fair proportion of properly-reduced cow-manure to be well wrought 

 amongst the soil. 



Sowing the Seed. — January is perhaps the best month for sowing the seed, 

 as the seedlings usually make their appearance at a time when the days begin, 

 to lengthen, consequently there is less danger of the plants damping off, which 

 is not the case when the seed is sown early in the autumn of the year. 



"When about to sow the seed, first half fill a shallow pan with crocks, then 

 cover with rotten fibre, next fill with the compost, which ought to be a mixture 

 of three parts finely-sifted loam and one part sand and leaf-mould. Smooth 

 the surface, sow, and only cover the seed with a little silver-sand ; stand the pan 

 in a comfortable corner in a greenhouse, and keep the soil moderately moist 

 imtil the seedliugs appear, being careful not to disturb the soil while in the act 

 of watering, and especially careful not to wet the leaves of the seedlings while 

 in the early stage of their growth, else they will soon disappear. Plant out 

 into boxes 2 inches apart as soon as the plants are in fit condition to handle, 

 giving them the benefit of a cold frame; and ultimately, when again prepared 

 for the final shift, plant them into the bed, prepared in lines 8 inches apart, 

 which will be enough space until the inferior varieties are removed. 



In the following autumn the bed may be entirely remodelled, and planted 

 anew with the finest varieties of the batch, allowing the space of 12 inches 

 both between plants and between rows. 



Another and not a bad method to follow I saw put in practice this spring 

 in the nurseries of Mr Gordon, Edinburgh ; and it was a sight worth seeing. 

 The bed of immense size was planted so thick as to hide the ground, without 

 being lined, presenting to the eye one blazing mass of mingled colours of 

 every shade natural to Alpine Auriculas, and many of them really excellent 

 sorts. A. K.EER. 



THE CULTURE OF HARDY AND HALF-HARDY ORCHIDS. 



It has often occurred to me that these plants should be more generally 

 cultivated than is at present the case, more especially as many of them 

 are, when well grown, scarcely less beautiful than the more expensive 

 Epiphytes of our Orchid-houses. I am induced to make a few remarks 

 after reading the practical letter of your ISTorth Wales correspondent 

 in last month's ' Gardener.' '' G. G." may certainly congratulate him- 

 self on having been so successful as to flower a large number of the 

 Italian species received by him under such unfavourable conditions. 

 Terrestrial Orchids ought, as a general rule, never to be disturbed when 

 making their growth, or in the flowering state ; still I know from 

 experience that many gardeners continually receive them from their 

 employers or their friends, who happen to be travelling on the Conti- 

 nent when these beautiful plants are in flower. The best way of col- 

 lecting these plants is to mark them when in flower, and afterwards 

 to remove them when the foliage has died off, and the tubers are 



